Rob Van Der Loo

All posts tagged Rob Van Der Loo

Source: Bravewords.com EPICA‘s new bassist Rob van der Loo is featured in a new interview with Shot @ The Show. An excerpt is available below:

Q: You joined the band in March of this year, replacing longtime bassist Yves Huts. How did the opportunity to play in EPICA come about?

Rob: “The whole thing about Yves leaving the band, it’s quite obvious – I don’t want to say issues, but he had this job, he was very busy with his other work and he wasn’t that dedicated to the band anymore. Not to speak negative about him at all because he’s always been dedicated to the band, but we kind of saw it coming.

I got the phone call and they had the group conversation and they decided to part ways. My feeling told me that it was coming this year somehow, but I was quite surprised when they called me. He’s been a member for such a long time and I get along with him pretty well. Of course, I’m pretty happy to join this band, but at the moment, I was sad to see him leave as well.”
Q: You’ve known the members of EPICA for a long time, right?

Rob: “I’ve known Mark (Jansen/guitars, founder) since his time with AFTER FOREVER and I remember a band called SAHARA DUST when it was starting up, which actually was a support band for my band, SUN CAGED, so it’s been quite a while. We’ve been in touch for many years already.”

Q: EPICA’s songs often contain heavy subject matter such as religious tensions, natural disasters and the world economy. Do you feel that not enough other bands are writing about these important topics?

Rob: “Of course, but this band is not exactly a band that likes to write about demons or wizards or love songs or whatever. I like that it’s not a typical gothic band that writes about fantasy stuff. These songs are really up to date.”

Q: When might the next album come out? 2014?

Rob: “We don’t have a real plan yet, but we’re aiming for that. To be honest, we’re already aiming for this summer to record the first songs. That’s our personal goal. The sooner, the better.”

New EPICA bassist Rob van der Loo (MAYAN, DELAIN), who recently joined the band as the replacement for Yves Huts, has released the following statement:

“Yesterday I’ve experienced some serious and unexpected health issues. To make sure I can be treated correctly, I have to run a couple of tests at the hospital, and my doctors also advised me to take some rest before going on full power again. Though this is hard for me to accept, it’s also something which I have to respect since health is a very precious thing. This does mean that I won’t be able to be on the [EPICA] European tour until all examinations are done (hopefully wihin the next couple of days). Of course I will join the band as soon as possible, but unfortunately I can’t give an exact date as of yet. I wish the rest of the band and crew all the best for the start of the tour and I really can’t wait to join!”

The rest of EPICA said in a statement, “Despite these unforseen circumstances, we’ll kick off the European tour today with a temporary solution for Rob‘s absence. While we await his return we wish him a swift recovery. The show must go on!”

EPICA‘s fifth full-length album, “Requiem For The Indifferent”, sold 4,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 104 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band’s previous CD, “Design Your Universe”, opened with 2,100 units to land at position No. 12 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

“Requiem For The Indifferent” was released on March 9 in Europe and four days later in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the watchful eye of Sascha Paeth.

A video for “Storm The Sorrow” was filmed in February and it “will show the band in a way you have never seen before,” according to a press release.

Commented the band: “Yves has been with us from the start and has been of great value to the band.

“We want to thank Yves for his contribution to EPICA‘s success and wish him the very best in his future career, whether musically or in a different way. We will never forget the good times we shared together on the road!

“The silver lining to this cloud is that we can already announce an awesome successor. Fulfilling duties on bass from now on will be none other than Rob van der Loo. You might know Rob from his work with MAYAN or DELAIN. We are sure that Rob will fit perfectly as a musician and as a person, and we are looking forward to share the stage for the first time next week.

Stated Huts: “013 is the venue where we did our first show with EPICA and, almost a decade later, also my last.

“I’m leaving the band because I have another career opportunity that is not combinable with the schedule of a world-touring band. I’ve tried to live these two different lives simultaneously for as long as I could, but in the end I just had to make a choice, one of the most difficult ones in my life.

“I look back to these 10 years in EPICA satisfied and enriched with life experience. As a founding member, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far and I’m sure the future has a lot more great things in store for the band.

“I would like to thank the band, crew, fans and everybody else involved for the good times and I wish my successor good luck.”

Commented Rob van der Loo: “A few days ago I spoke to Yves and he brought back a memory from the time when EPICA was still a support band for one of my former bands. At that time he would never have guessed that almost 10 years later I’d be his successor in EPICA… Well, neither did I… but I’m damn proud of it!

“I’ve been sharing the stage with the people from EPICA for almost ten years now, and becoming a member of MAYAN last year brought us even closer. So making the decision to join EPICA feels pretty good. Therefore I want to show my gratitude to the bandmembers (including Yves) and the crew for allowing me in the EPICA family!

“See you guys on the road! I won’t let you down!”

EPICA‘s fifth full-length album, “Requiem For The Indifferent”, sold 4,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 104 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band’s previous CD, “Design Your Universe”, opened with 2,100 units to land at position No. 12 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

“Requiem For The Indifferent” was released on March 9 in Europe and four days later in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany under the watchful eye of Sascha Paeth.

A video for “Storm The Sorrow” was filmed last month and it “will show the band in a way you have never seen before,” according to a press release.